Of Memories and Memorials:
A Conversation with Jake Barton
about the Make History Project
Alex Wright
New York Times | [e-mail]
January + February 2010

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With each passing September 11 anniversary, the
headlines drift a little further down the front page.
The moments of silence feel a little shorter. Painful
memories fade.
In another era, our shared recollections of such
a world-historical event might have drifted slowly
out of the news cycle and into the long-term cul-
tural memory of museums and history books.
Today, however, the process of making history
edges into the present tense, as a vast outpouring
of personal memories linger online in the form of
blogs, photos, videos, and individual stories that
now comprise an essential part of the historical
record.
In a world where anyone can publish, and seem-
ingly everyone does, what is the role of cultural
institutions in curating our collective memory? Can
“official” institutional versions of history coexist
with this proliferation of constantly shifting per-
sonal expression—or is such a distinction growing
increasingly meaningless in a networked world?
Jake Barton of Local Projects has been wrestling
with these questions for the past few years as he
works with the National September 11 Museum &
Memorial team to build Make History (http://make-
history.national911memorial.org/), a new site that
allows individuals to share their photos, videos,
and personal stories of the event.
Since the site launched in September 2009, about
1,000 visitors have contributed more than 3,000
photos, videos, and stories. When the memorial
eventually takes shape in lower Manhattan, this
virtual repository will find a permanent physical
home.
Recently Barton and I discussed the project, the
challenges of designing interactive storytelling
environments, and the long-term vision for the
memorial.

Alex Wright: Can you give us a little background
on the project? How did you first get in touch with the
National September 11 Memorial team?

Jake Barton: Around three years ago, I was
approached by Tom Hennes of Thinc design, an
exhibition design firm, to partner for an inter-
national competition to design the National
September 11 Memorial Museum. There were 16
firms in the running, and our team, Thinc Design
with Local Projects, made it through a few rounds
until there were just three firms left—one led
by my former mentor, Ralph Appelbaum, which
was quite awkward. The three firms were given a
three-week design charrette to create an exhibit
in a small space, and we developed a few strong
design ideas that we visualized in a very specific
fly-through. I think the client was able to really
experience our ideas, which became the most com-
pelling argument for hiring us.

Alex: Over the past few years, you have worked on a
number of projects involving personal storytelling. What
are the ingredients for a successful collaborative storytell-
ing environment?

Jake: People must care about the topic. I’ve
turned down many projects, both commercial and
non, because I just didn’t think the topic would
garner enough of a passionate or critical response.
Formally, the key to collaborative storytelling is the
right mixture of freedom and constraints. Like a
good sonnet or limerick, a collaborative storytelling
project needs a formal structure that brings out
creativity from its participants. The worst thing
is a blank page or open microphone; you need a
clearly defined rule-set that inspires people. The
five-word biography, the Twitter update, the con-
versation of a lifetime—all of these structures
inspire people to be more creative because they
are constrained.